Vocational education and training in Greece - Cedefop

L
European Centre for the Development
of Vocational Training
EN
Vocational education
and training in
Greece
Short description
Vocational education and
training in Greece
Short description
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2014
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the
Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu).
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2014
ISBN 978-92-896-1620-1
doi: 10.2801/76056
© European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), 2014
All rights reserved.
The European Centre for the Development
of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is the European Union’s
reference centre for vocational education and training.
We provide information on and analyses of vocational education and
training systems, policies, research and practice.
Cedefop was established in 1975
by Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75.
Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE
PO Box 22427, 551 02 Thessaloniki, GREECE
Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020
E-mail: info@cedefop.europa.eu
www.cedefop.europa.eu
James J. Calleja, Director
Barbara Dorn, Chair of the Governing Board
Foreword
The 2014 Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU takes place in the context of
major economic and social challenges, as the crisis, which can be felt all over
Europe, has hit Greece especially hard. To reverse negative trends, reforms
have so far focused on economic issues; yet it is important to understand that
education and training policies, especially vocational education and training
(VET) policy, can play a major role in empowering people and enterprises to be
competitive.
In Greece, VET is in transition. The 2013 legislation on secondary education
aims to promote VET and strengthen its work-based component. The action plan
for youth employment intends to better link education with work, upgrade VET,
boost apprenticeship and broaden career guidance offered to young people. This
comes at a time when addressing high youth unemployment and other labour
market imbalances is more urgent than ever.
Increasing the provision of work-based learning, in particular
apprenticeships, goes some way towards ensuring that young people are able to
acquire knowledge, skills and competence that will lead to better job prospects.
But legislative reforms are not enough. To make qualifications relevant requires
closer communication between education and training and the world of work.
Enterprises need to understand that training young people is an investment
in their own future. A better match between people’s qualifications and tasks
benefits both employers and employees. Young people and their families also
need to realise the advantages of work-based learning. This is a particular
challenge in a country where university education enjoys much higher prestige
than VET. But people’s perceptions are not always in line with reality.
Unemployment among university graduates, though still lower than that faced by
people with lower qualification levels, has been rising during the crisis. Moroever,
the share of those who work at a level below their qualifications has risen by six
percentage points (1). Cedefop estimates suggest that by 2020 about 60% of jobs
in Greece will require medium-level qualifications, often of a vocational nature (2).
(1) See Pouliakas, K. (2014). A balancing act at times of austerity: matching the supply
and demand for skills in the Greek labour market. IZA Discussion paper; No 7915.
http://ftp.iza.org/dp7915.pdf [4.3.2014].
(2) Cedefop (2012). Future skills supply and demand in Europe: forecast 2012.
Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop research paper; No 21.
1
Information on skills needed now and in the future must become an integral part
of decision-making and steer both reforms of VET and students’ choices.
Evidence from other countries shows that cooperation in shaping attractive
and relevant qualifications can help increase ownership and commitment. Greece
has been working on the development of the Hellenic qualifications framework
and has officially presented it in February 2014. National qualifications
frameworks focusing on what people are expected to know, understand and be
able to do at different levels, and possibilities to assess and validate skills
acquired in formal, informal and non-formal learning settings also help to ensure
that people continue to develop skills throughout their working lives.
Fully implementing changes set in motion by legislative reform, initiatives on
anticipating skill needs and cooperation with and policy learning from countries
with well-established VET systems will take time. Achieving sustainable results
will require commitment from all partners within education and training and the
labour market.
This report provides an insight into the Greek VET system. By presenting its
main features and current developments, we hope that it will contribute to a
better understanding of VET in Greece and the challenges ahead.
Joachim James Calleja
Cedefop Director
2
Acknowledgements
This short description is the result of a team effort. It is based on the work of
Alexandra Ioannidou (under contract No 2013-0110/0211) and her associate
Aikaterini-Evdokia Petrounakou. Cedefop would like to thank Vlasis Korovilos,
who coordinated the short description from the side of Cedefop and commented
on it. Thanks also go to Pascaline Descy, Eleonora Schmid, Jasper van Loo,
Fernanda Ferreira, Loukas Zahilas, Vicky Oraiopoulou and Yorgos Kostakis, who
provided feedback on the report. Cedefop is also grateful to Ioanna Nezi, who
edited the report and to Marena Zoppi and Eleanna Velentza, who provided
technical assistance.
3
Table of contents
Foreword
................................................................................................... 1
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 3
1. External factors influencing vocational education and training in Greece ....... 7
1.1. Demographics ........................................................................................ 7
1.2. Political and cultural framework ............................................................. 8
1.3. Economic background ......................................................................... 10
1.4. Labour market ...................................................................................... 11
1.5. Educational attainment ........................................................................ 15
2. Provision of vocational education and training from the lifelong learning
perspective ................................................................................................. 17
2.1. General observations concerning vocational education and training
in Greece ............................................................................................. 17
2.2. Description of VET within the Greek education system ....................... 20
2.3. Other forms of vocational training ........................................................ 31
3. Shaping qualifications in vocational education and training .......................... 33
3.1. Diagnosing the skills needed by the labour market ............................. 33
3.2. Basic thematic axes for the development of curricula and
qualifications ........................................................................................ 36
3.3. Quality assurance ................................................................................ 41
4. Promoting vocational education and training ................................................ 43
4.1. Incentives for entering vocational education and training .................... 43
4.2. Guidance and lifelong counselling ....................................................... 46
Bibliography
................................................................................................. 49
Webpages
................................................................................................. 53
Relevant national legislation ................................................................................ 54
List of abbreviations ............................................................................................. 55
ANNEX Glossary................................................................................................. 57
4
List of figures and tables
Figures
1. Breakdown of population by age bracket (2011)............................................. 8
2. Projected percentage change in active labour force by 2050 ......................... 8
3. Quarterly unemployment rates in Greece and the European Union
(EU-28) (2011-13) ......................................................................................... 12
4. Quarterly employment and unemployment figures (2011-13), in ‘000s ........ 12
5. Young people (15-24) not in employment, education or training,
2003-12
................................................................................................. 14
6. Percentage of young people attracted to vocational education (2011)
and percentage of vocational education students in higher secondary
education (2011) ........................................................................................... 18
7. Vocational education and training in the framework of the Greek
education system .......................................................................................... 22
8. Future job opportunities by level of qualifications (Greece 2013-25), in
‘000s
................................................................................................. 33
9. Employment per sector (Greece), in ‘000s, 2003-25 .................................... 34
Tables
1. Risk of poverty by education level in Greece and the European Union
(ǼU-27), 2005-12 .......................................................................................... 10
2. Share of flexible work arrangements (%) in labour contracts, by age
group
................................................................................................. 13
3. Unemployment rate and number of jobless by education level
(3rd quarter 2013) ......................................................................................... 13
4. Europass CVs completed by citizens resident in Greece, 2007-13 .............. 15
5. Early school leaving rates, 2006-12 .............................................................. 16
5
Greece
Area: 131 957 km2
Capital: Athens
System of government: Parliamentary democracy
Population: 10 815 197 (2011)
Per capita GDP (nominal): EUR 17 200 (2012)
6
CHAPTER 1.
External factors influencing vocational
education and training in Greece
1.1.
Demographics
The demographic factor is particularly important in a country like Greece which,
compared to other countries in the European Union (EU) is geographically both
small and, because of its islands, extremely dispersed. The most recent census
(3) found that Greece had a population of 10 815 197, with slightly more women
(50.8%) than men (49.2%). The main demographic trends are the gradual ageing
of the population and the change in composition brought about by immigration.
Since the previous census (2001), the population has decreased by 1.38%
(148 823). The biggest population group is that aged 30 to 44 (Figure 1). Greece
also has a low fertility rate (4) (1.4 in 2011 compared to 1.5 in 2009), which is
leading to a gradual ageing of its population.
According to the 2011 census the population of Greece comprises 9 903 268
Greek nationals (303 270 fewer than in 2001), 199 101 nationals of other
European Union countries, 708 003 nationals of other countries (compared to
761 813 in 2001) and 4 825 stateless persons or persons of undetermined
nationality.
These demographic changes constitute a major challenge for the country’s
economy and development. The shrinkage of the labour force observed in
Greece usually leads a country into social and economic decline. Based on an
OECD study (2011) Greece’s economically active population is expected to
decrease by roughly 12% by 2050 (compared with 9% for the whole set of
countries covered by the study, Figure 2). As the workforce decreases, so do
social insurance contributions, while the state spends more on social security and
the health system. At the same time, the increasing number of immigrants,
especially from third countries, creates new issues relating to their integration into
education and employment.
(3) http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGE-census2011 [30.10.2013].
(4) http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN [20.10.2013].
7
Figure 1.
Brreakdown off population
n by age bra
acket (2011)
Source: Hellen
nic Statistical Au
uthority (Elstat),, population cen
nsus, 2011.
Figure 2.
Projected perc
centage cha
ange in activ
ve labour fo
orce by 20500
Source: OECD
D (2011).
1..2.
Political an
nd culturral frame
ework
Siince the ou
utbreak of fiscal and economic crisis
c
in Grreece and the country
y’s
en
ntry into the
e European
n financial stabilisation
n mechanis
sm in 20100, the politic
cal
sccene in Grreece has been chan
nging rapid
dly. The ec
conomic crrisis and the
sttructural refforms that governmen
nts since th
hat date ha
ave been aattempting to
8
introduce have shaken political equilibria to the roots, turned the political scene
upside down and provoked strong social reactions with changes in electoral
behaviour, mass demonstrations and strikes.
The social impact of the crisis has been extremely serious. From the earliest
days of the crisis (2010) increasing social inequality threatened social cohesion
and protection. Within a year of its onset the number of households with no
wage-earner or a wage-earner working for less than three months of the year had
risen by 54%, while the increasing inequality of income distribution raised Greece
to fourth place among the most unequal countries (5). According to a recent study
(6), the largest share of inequality belongs to education, followed by employment.
The rise in inequality is observed in parallel with a decline in social
protection. Although unemployment has more than doubled in Greece, the
number of those receiving unemployment benefits has remained unchanged.
While the percentage of those living in poverty increased by 38%, social
expenditures fell sharply, so that the forecast significant reduction in the debt in
2013-14 will be due primarily to the reduction in social expenditures (Matsaganis,
2013).
Even before the crisis Greece had one of the highest poverty rates in the
EU. The deep recession has driven poverty levels up, increased social exclusion,
and slashed disposable income. The least well educated are at greater risk of
poverty than those with a higher level of education (28.7% in 2012 for those with
basic education or less, 24.2% for those with secondary or post-secondary
education and 9.4% for those with university degrees) (7).
(5) Eurostat, income and living conditions (ILC) database.
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/income_social_inclusion_living_c
onditions/data/database [29.10.2013].
(6) Ȃitrakos, T. (2013). ǹȞȚıȩIJȘIJĮ țĮȚ ijIJȫȤİȚĮ: IJȐıİȚȢ țĮȚ ʌȡȠțȜȒıİȚȢ [Inequality and
poverty: trends and challenges]. Presentation at KEPE workshop on social cohesion
and the economic crisis, 30 May 2013.
(7)
http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGE-livingcond [30.10.2013].
9
Table 1.
Risk of poverty by education level in Greece and the European Union
(ǼU-27), 2005-12
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
EU-27
22.7
23.1
23.5
23.4
23.2
23.0
24.0
Greece
27.0
27.1
26.2
27.2
27.2
27.0
29.6
Upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (levels 3 and 4)
23.9
28.7
EU-27
Greece
Pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0-2)
12.5
14.2
12.7
15.6
13.3
15.5
13.0
15.5
13.0
16.4
13.4
18.5
14.1
19.7
14.5
24.2
6.7
5.3
6.9
5.8
7.4
7.1
7.5
9.4
First and second stage of tertiary education (levels 5 and 6)
EU-27
Greece
6.7
5.6
6.3
5.7
6.7
7.5
6.6
6.8
Source: Eurostat, website database, 2013.
1.3.
Economic background
Greece has been in recession since the autumn of 2009, when the risk of
bankruptcy first officially appeared. The high levels of unemployment, the
continuous wage and pension cuts, and the ever-increasing austerity measures
have led to a decrease in purchasing power and a significant slide in per capita
GDP. Despite the considerable drop in the cost of labour, investment remains
low, while the political and institutional uncertainty impedes inflows of new
capital.
The austerity measures are having a negative effect on GDP, which in 2012
was EUR 193 749 million. After dropping by 4.9% in 2010, 7.1% in 2011 and
6.4% in 2012 (based on 2005 values), GDP is expected to fall again in 2013, by
4.4%, before returning to growth (+0.6%) in 2014 (8).
In the commercial sector (9), turnover in the retail market has fallen sharply
since 2010 (index value 91.7% in 2012 with base year 2005=100). The volume
index for retail trade shows a corresponding decline, standing at 73.9% in 2012.
In the building/construction sector, the production index has plummeted in
each of the past three years (-29.2% in 2010, -28.1% in 2011, -26.1% in 2012), a
drop that is substantially greater than in the rest of the euro area and elsewhere.
In one sector the picture has been positive, and that is tourism, which is very
important for Greece, on the one hand because of its economic and job-creating
potential and on the other because of its social and environmental impact.
(8) http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGWebsite database [20.10.2013].
(9) http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/General/ELLAS_IN_
NUMERS_GR.pdf [2.10.2013].
10
Eurostat figures show a remarkable rise in the number of hotel and other tourist
accommodation nights from 2006 to 2011. Tourism sagged in 2012, but soared
again in 2013, although without bringing an increase in jobs.
The Greek economy has recently shown signs of recovery. The public deficit
10
( ) fell – compared to the preceding year – by 34.43% in 2010, 16.22% in 2011
and 7.32% in 2012 (not including the sums appropriated to support the banks),
while as a percentage of GDP it dropped from 10.7% in 2010 to 9.5% in 2011
and 9.0% in 2012.
1.4.
Labour market
The recession has aggravated chronic structural problems in the labour market.
Eurostat figures show that Greece has the fastest rising rate of unemployment in
the EU, with jobless numbers having more than doubled (+209%) since 2008.
The rise in the number of long-term unemployed is particularly worrying, since
the longer people remain unemployed the less chance they have of entering the
labour market.
The unemployment rate in Greece (11) reached 27% in the third quarter of
2013, up from 24.8% in the corresponding quarter of 2012 (Figure 3) and 7.6% in
2008. However, real unemployment in Greece appears to be much higher than
the official figures show, and according to the General Confederation of Greek
Workers (GSEE) has topped 30% (12). The discrepancy is due among other
things to the high percentage of people working in family businesses without
receiving a regular wage (‘concealed unemployment’).
(10) http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/refreshTableAction.do?tab=table&plugin=
1&pcode=tec00127&language=en [20.10.2013].
(11) http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A0101/.
PressReleases/A0101_SJO01_DT_QQ_03_2013_01_F_EN.pdf [19.12.2013].
(12) http://www.inegsee.gr/sitefiles/files/enhmerosh-teyxos-210.pdf [24.12.2013].
11
Figure 3.
Qu
uarterly unemployment rates in Gre
eece and the European
n Union
(EU
U-28) (2011--13)
Source: Eurosstat, website dattabase, 2014.
In the th
hird quarter of 2013, th
he number of unemplo
oyed stood at 1 345 38
87,
th
he non-econ
nomically ac
ctive popula
ation at 4 422 800, and
d the workinng population
att 3 635 905. For the firrst time sincce the begin
nning of the
e crisis empployment rose
in two successive quartters (by 1.1 % in the 3rrd quarter of
o 2013 com
mpared to the
1sst), but is still 2.8% be
elow the fig ure for the third quarte
er of 2012. The nation
nal
20
020 employyment rate target, in the framew
work of the
e Europe 20020 strateg
gy,
which is 70%
% (European
n target: 75
5%), seems impossible to achievee in conditions
off deep recession and la
agging inve
estment. Wo
orse, there is a dangerr that, witho
out
job creation measures and a be
etter matching of skills supply w
with deman
nd,
cyyclical unem
mployment will
w turn into
o structural unemploym
ment.
Figure 4.
Qu
uarterly emp
ployment an
nd unemploy
yment figure
es (2011-13)), in ‘000s
Source: Elstatt, labour force survey, 2013.
12
The share of part-time jobs rose to 8.2% of all employment. Of this subset of
workers, 65.2% are working part-time because they could not find full-time jobs.
Part-time employment rose particularly in the 15 to 24 age bracket and now
accounts for 21.3% of labour contracts (see Table 2).
Table 2.
Share of flexible work arrangements (%) in labour contracts, by age
group
2008
Part-time employment
Temporary employment
Duration of temporary employment < 12 months
2012
15-24
25+
15-24
25+
12.3
29
69.4
5
10.2
65.4
21.3
26.1
80.1
7.7
9.2
74.3
Source: Elstat, labour force survey, Cholezas’ calculations, 2013.
Although higher levels of education are linked to lower unemployment, for
higher technological education the unemployment rate remains high (30.6% in
2013) (Table 3).
Unemployment rates are particularly high for women and young people. For
women the rate is 31.3% and for men 23.8%, while the differential between the
sexes is more than 20 percentage points.
Unemployment is highest among those aged 15 to 24 (57.2%), reaching
62.8% for young women. Greece has had high youth unemployment since 1983,
with rates in excess of 20% even in years of strong economic growth (e.g. at the
beginning of the new millennium when GDP was rising by roughly 4% a year).
There are several reasons for this: an overlong transition period from education
to employment, early school leaving, lack of vocational education that attracts
young people’s interest, few opportunities to combine work and study, inability of
the Greek labour market to create new jobs even in periods of high growth.
Table 3.
Unemployment rate and number of jobless by education level (3rd
quarter 2013)
Education level
Population
(in thousands)
PhD doctorate or MSc master’s degree
Tertiary education (university or higher VET)
Bachelor degree (university or higher VET)
Upper secondary school certificate
Lower secondary school certificate
Primary school certificate
A number of years in primary school
Never attended education/school
Total
191.6
1 195.0
1 173.9
2 947.9
1 125.4
2 323.4
242.1
204.8
9 404.1
Source: Elstat, labour force survey, 2013.
13
Unemployment
rate
15.7%
18.8%
30.2%
29.4%
31.9%
25.8%
39.6%
38.3%
27.0%
The govvernment ha
as recently sstepped up
p its efforts to
t reduce u nemployme
ent
an
nd has produced
p
an
a
action plan to boost yo
outh empl oyment and
en
ntrepreneurrship (2012
2). The sch
heme includ
des the cre
eation of joobs for young
pe
eople, sup
pporting vo
ocational e
education and trainin
ng and aapprenticesh
hip
s from edducation in
syystems, insstituting sy
ystematic ttransition programme
p
nto
em
mployment,, boosting guidance a
and counse
elling, especially for yooung people,
an
nd increasin
ng support for youth iinnovation and entrepreneurship (see Section
4.1.1).
The perrcentage off 15 to 24
4 year-olds not in edu
ucation, em
mployment or
aining (NEETs) in Grreece rose steadily between
b
20
008 and 20012 and has
tra
co
onsistently been
b
among the highe
est in the EU
U (Figure 5)) (13). The eeconomic co
ost
to
o the countryy from theirr exclusion ffrom the lab
bour markett is estimateed to be 3.3
3%
off GDP (Euro
opean avera
age: 1.21%
%, Germany:: < 0.6%).
Figure 5.
Yo
oung people
e (15-24) nott in employm
ment, educa
ation or train
ning, 2003-12
Source: Eurosta
at, website data
abase, 2013.
The soccial cost of the
t increasse in youth unemploym
ment is equaally high. It is
esstimated that young people
p
not iin educatio
on, training or employm
ment expre
ess
less confiden
nce in demo
ocratic instittutions and have a gre
eater tendenncy to absta
ain
fro
om civic life
e. The problem of youth
h unemploy
yment undermines grow
wth prospec
cts
an
nd erodes social cohe
esion (rise of extremis
st movemen
nts, weakenned solidarrity
be
etween gen
nerations, xenophobia
x
a and racis
sm, anti-Eu
uropean annd nationallist
m
movements, etc.).
(133) http://www
w.eurofound..europa.eu/p
pubdocs/2012
2/54/en/1/EF
F1254EN.pdff [30.10.2013
3].
14
Table 4.
Europass CVs completed by citizens resident in Greece, 2007-13
Year
Europass CVs
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
3 369
22 319
32 267
46 432
98 008
159 830
257 085
Total
622 275
Source: Europass, website activity report, 2013.
The fiscal crisis and persistent economic recession in Greece, in conjunction
with the increased emigration of highly qualified young people, particularly
towards northern European countries, have had a direct impact on the supply of
skills in relation to demand. One indication of this shift toward foreign job markets
is the fact that the number of visits to the Europass website from Greece has
multiplied by a factor of 10 since 2009, and the number of Europass CVs
completed by residents of Greece by a factor of seven over the same period (see
Table 4).
1.5.
Educational attainment
The level of participation in education is generally high in Greece (14). In 2012,
more than 30% of those aged 30 to 34 had tertiary level qualifications (Figure 7).
Participation in VET, on the other hand, has consistently been low (see Chapter
2).
The percentage of young people (18-24) leaving education and training early
has fallen since 2006 (Table 5). Eurostat figures for 2012 show that the early
leaving rate (15) in Greece (11.4%) is below the European average (12.7%, EU28) but above the target set for 2020.
(14) http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGE-livingcond [30.10.2013].
(15) For the purposes of this figure early leavers from education or training are people
aged 18-24 who: (a) have achieved only ISCED levels 0, 1, 2 or 3c, and (b) declared
that they had not received any education or training in the four weeks preceding the
survey.
15
Table 5.
EU-28
Greece
Early school leaving rates, 2006-12
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
15.4
15.5
14.9
14.6
14.7
14.8
14.2
14.5
13.9
13.7
13.4
13.1
2012
12.7(*)
11.4
(*) Interim data.
Source: Eurostat, website database, 2013.
As regards lifelong learning, the results of the labour force survey show a
2.4% participation rate for 2011 (16), with the European average at 8.9%. The
European benchmark was adjusted from its 2010 level of 12.5% to 15% for 2020.
Nevertheless, participation rates have been falling across Europe: by 2011 just
six countries had attained or exceeded the target (17).
According to the European adult education survey (18), the share of people
aged 25 to 64 attending any kind of education in the previous 12 months was
14.5% in 2007, with no significant differences between men and women. The rate
of participation in education activities of people with tertiary-level education
(31.8%) is double that of those with a secondary education (15.2%) and eight
times that of those with only a primary education (4%). Finally, 84% of those
surveyed declared that the education activities in which they had participated had
taken place outside the formal education system.
(16) http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking/sw377_en.pdf [30.10.2013].
(17) http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/adult_en.htm [30.12.2013].
(18) http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/microdata/adult_education_
survey [30.10.2013].
16
CHAPTER 2.
Provision of vocational education and
training from the lifelong learning
perspective
2.1.
General observations concerning vocational
education and training in Greece
Greek society has always been characterised by a strong demand for general
education and university studies. VET held little appeal for young people and was
associated with ‘laborious’ and ‘inferior’ manual labour; on the contrary, general
education is associated with expectations of improved social standing. Today,
young people continue to see vocational education as a last resort, despite
unceasing efforts by the authorities to present it as an alternative of equal value
with general education. The statistics show that those with technical and
vocational qualifications have less trouble finding jobs than those with general
education.
Most youngsters (about 75%) still opt for the general upper secondary
school giving access to university studies. Vocational education remains the
second choice for most parents and children. It attracts low performers, who for
the most part come from lower economic brackets. This tends to reinforce
negative stereotypes and creates a vicious circle at the expense of vocational
education (Ioannidou and Stavrou, 2013). Low participation in VET seems to be
directly associated with its inability to attract young people (Figure 6).
17
Figure 6.
Pe
ercentage off young peo
ople attracte
ed to vocatio
onal educatiion (2011)
an
nd percentag
ge of vocatio
onal educattion studentts in higher secondary
ed
ducation (2011)
Source: Cedeffop, based on Eurobarometer
E
a
and Eurostat fig
gures, 2013.
In addition, early le
eaving from
m VET is pa
articularly high,
h
reachiing 20.3% for
f
th
he country as
a a whole (Pedagogiccal Institute
e, 2006, p. 184), comppared to 3.3
3%
19
1
ea
arly leaving
g from the unified
u
lyceu
um (op. cit., p. 109) ( ). There aare significa
ant
re
egional diffe
erences, with
w
the hig
ghest early leaving ra
ates occurrring in Crete,
Ep
pirus and Central Ma
acedonia (>
>20%) and
d the lowes
st in the Ioonian Islands
(<
<15%). The main reasons for lea ving VET early,
e
accorrding to thee Pedagogic
cal
In
nstitute, app
pear to be the low soccial/economic/education
nal level of the studen
nt’s
fa
amily coupled with hiis/her workking in the
e family bu
usiness or in season
nal
em
mployment in the touris
sm sector (o
op. cit. p. 195).
who choose
e VET varie
es from reggion to region
The perrcentage of students w
an
nd ranges from 20% to 34%. P
Participation
n in vocatio
onal and ggeneral upp
per
(199) The referrence population is the
e intake clas
ss of 2000-0
01, that is, students who
w
enrolled in
n the first ye
ear of upper secondary school
s
in 200
00-01 but didd not comple
ete
upper seccondary educ
cation.
18
secondary school seems to be affected by a number of factors, including the
structure of employment in each region, the standard of living, the educational
level of the parents, the accessibility of the school, inter alia (CTI, 2011, pp. 106107).
Eight of 10 students who opt for VET choose vocational upper secondary
school, with just two out of 10 preferring an apprenticeship school (national
average 17%; regional averagesranging between 10% and 26%). The
apprenticeship schools (EPAS) operated by the Public Employment Service, the
Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED) (see Section 2.2.4) attract far more
students than the corresponding Ministry of Education schools (now called SEK),
because their apprenticeship system gives their graduates better employment
prospects.
A crucial issue for the attractiveness of vocational education, both generally
and in relation to specific specialties, concerns occupational rights. While the
construction sector, to take one example, grew considerably, related specialties
in vocational upper secondary schools have seen low participation. This is
because there are no established occupational rights for technicians with low or
intermediate level qualifications, even though these trades demand enhanced
knowledge and skills (such as ironworkers, builders, aluminium technicians,
metal structure technicians, carpenters, cabinet makers, etc.). In several other
occupations rights have not been secured, such as bakers, confectioners,
butchers, cooks and tourism workers; needs are met chiefly by workers trained
on the job. By contrast, establishing occupational rights in sectors such as
plumbing and hairdressing has led to strong demand for related educational
services (Pedagogical Institute, 2006, p. 150).
Since 2000, four laws – on the national system linking VET with employment
(Law 3191/2003), systematising lifelong learning (Law 3369/2005), developing
lifelong learning (Law 3879/2010), and restructuring secondary education
(Law 4186/2013) – and numerous amendments have been enacted in an attempt
to regulate the domain of VET and lifelong learning. This legislative activity is
mainly due to the EU’s post-2000 emphasis on creating a competitive Europe
that is capable of meeting the new challenges of the knowledge-based society.
But the Greek state also recognises the positive impact that developing lifelong
learning would have on the country’s economic life and on social cohesion.
International surveys show that close links between vocational education and the
requirements of the job market and economy are an essential precondition for an
efficient, high quality system that would make it easier to move from school to
active life (McCoschan et al., 2008; Wolf, 2011; Cedefop, 2012b).
19
The new law on the restructuring of secondary – including vocational –
education (Law 4186/2013), which came into effect in September 2013, opens
the VET system to the economy and the job market and attempts to regulate the
field from the perspective of lifelong learning. Nevertheless, the major issues
facing the Greek VET system persist: closer links with the job market and
economy, more vigorous involvement of the social partners, sense of social
coresponsibility and consensus on vocational training matters, decentralisation
and greater school autonomy, attracting more young people into vocational
training, improving the quality of initial vocational training and linking it more
closely to continued vocational training (Ioannidou and Stavrou, 2013).
2.2.
Description of VET within the Greek education
system
In Greece schooling is compulsory for all children aged 5 to 15. Compulsory
education includes primary (kindergarten, one year, and primary school, six
years) and lower secondary education (three years), at a day or, for working
students, an evening school.
Graduation from lower secondary education completes the cycle of
compulsory schooling and students can then choose whether to continue in
general or vocational education. If they choose to continue in general education
they will attend classes at a general upper secondary school (GEL), for three
years of upper secondary education; there are also evening schools for working
students, and in these the programme is four years. Students enter upper
secondary school at the age of 15 and graduate at 18. In the first year the
programme is general, while in the second and third years students take both
general education and special orientation subjects. The choice of subjects is
informed by educational or vocational guidance offered through the decentralised
structures of the Ministry of Education’s Vocational Orientation Guidance and
Educational Activities Directorate (SEPED) (see Section 4.2). Those who
graduate from a general upper secondary school can sit the national
examinations for admission to a tertiary education programme.
According to the new law regulating secondary education (Law 4186/2013),
which aims among other things to attract more students into VET, students now
have the following options in addition to the general upper secondary school:
20
(a) initial vocational education within the formal education system (20) in the
second cycle of secondary education at a vocational upper secondary school
(day or evening school);
(b) initial vocational training (21) outside the formal education system (referred to
as non-formal) in vocational training schools (SEK), vocational training
institutes (IEK), centres for lifelong learning and colleges.
Initial formal vocational education: vocational upper secondary
schools (EPAL)
At national level (Law 3879/2010 concerning lifelong learning), formal VET leads
to the acquisition of certificates recognised nationally by public authorities, and is
part of the education ladder. Formal education also includes education for adults.
According to the law on secondary education (Law 4186/2013), vocational
education is provided by the vocational upper secondary school. These schools
(public or private) are founded exclusively by the Ministry of Education and
Religious Affairs and may be day or evening schools. The minimum age for
enrolment in a vocational evening school is 16.
The public vocational upper secondary schools offer the specialties that are
listed in the legislation. The programmes are organised by sector, group and
specialty, with most sectors offering two or more specialties. The sectors
currently covered are information science, mechanical engineering, electrical
engineering/electronics/automation, construction, environment and natural
resources, administration and economics, agronomy-food technology and
nutrition, and occupations in the merchant marine (captain, mechanic).
According to the new law specialties should be tailored to national and
regional economic needs, following the recommendations of the ministries,
regional administrations and social partners. Curricula can be developed in line
with the European credit system for VET (ECVET), and take into account, where
these exist, related job profiles certified by the National Organisation for the
Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (Eoppep).
2.2.1.
(20) Formal education system: the system of primary, secondary and tertiary education.
National legislation reserves the term ‘formal vocational education’ for programmes
at upper secondary level (EPAL) that allow access to higher education through
exams. Although they are fully or partially regulated by the state and lead to officially
recognised qualifications, other upper secondary or post-secondary programmes and
some CVET programmes are considered non-formal VET.
(21) In Greece, in this context, ‘initial vocational training’ refers to the training that
provides basic knowledge, abilities and skills in trades and specialities, targeting the
integration, reintegration, job mobility and enhancement of human resources in the
labour market, as well as professional and personal development.
21
Figure 7.
Vocational education and training in the framework of the Greek
education system
NB: EQF levels are placed according to the January 2014 EQF-NQF referencing report.
ISCED 1997 was used on the chart. Conversion to ISCED 2011 is ongoing.
Source: Cedefop.
Programmes at vocational upper secondary school can lead to two levels:
(a) a three-year programme;
(b) an additional ‘apprenticeship year’.
In the day schools the secondary cycle comprises three years. Students with
lower secondary leaving certificates or equivalent qualifications enrol in the first
22
year without entrance examinations. Students promoted from the first year of a
vocational upper secondary school are entitled to enrol in the second year of a
general upper secondary school: this means that the system allows for horizontal
mobility.
The ‘apprenticeship year’ (education in the workplace), which is optional and
is an innovation introduced by the new law, is open to those who have earned the
certificate and diploma attesting completion of the three-year upper secondary
education at a vocational upper secondary school. Implementing OAED’s dual
learning principle, it includes learning at the workplace, a specialisation course,
and preparatory courses for certification at the school. The vocational upper
secondary schools and OAED share responsibility for implementing the
apprenticeship year, assigning the students to work placements, and all that this
entails.
Between 2001 and 2011, the number of vocational education schools fell by
a third, with the private sector particularly severely affected (86.5%) (CTI, 2011).
The student population in vocational education also dropped sharply over
the same period, decreasing by more than 35%. In the case of the private
schools particularly, student numbers fell continuously over the period,
decreasing by a total of around 91%. The number of female students declined
steadily, with a net loss of more than 50% between 2001 and 2011. The
percentage of foreign and repatriated students in the vocational upper secondary
schools in the school year 2009-10 was 16% and 15% in the EPAS
apprenticeship system (CTI, 2011).
That same year (2009-10), according to the CTI review, the sectors that
attracted most EPAL students were health and welfare (20.3%) and information
science (14.4%) (CTI 2011, p. 113). In both EPAL and EPAS, the sectors and
specialties where some growth seems to be developing are related to services.
Specialties oriented towards the processing industry, construction and agriculture
are either absent or inadequate (CTI, 2011, p. 149-150). A study published by the
Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) urges that sectors considered
particularly important for the country’s economic growth in 2014-20 be taken into
account in determining the specialties to be offered by VET (health, energy,
supply chain, information science, food, environment, metals and construction
materials) (see Section 3.1). None the less, a number of the 52 specialties that
the Minister for Education removed from public EPAL and EPAS programmes in
2013 were in popular or dynamically developing sectors.
Those who complete an upper secondary programme are awarded a
vocational upper secondary school leaving certificate (equivalent to the general
upper secondary school leaving certificate) and a specialisation diploma at
23
European qualifications framework (EQF) level 4 (22), following school
examinations administered by EPAL. Graduates of the ‘apprenticeship year’
receive a diploma at EQF level 5 (23) issued jointly by the Ministry of Education
and OAED, after procedures for certification of their qualifications by the national
agency have been completed. Graduates of a vocational upper secondary
evening school do not have to enrol in the ‘apprenticeship year’ but can apply for
certification of their qualifications if they have worked for at least 600 days in the
specialty with which they graduated from the third year.
The body responsible for certification of qualifications and for awarding
specialisation diplomas to graduates of ‘apprenticeship year’ is Eoppep, either
alone or jointly with OAED. Those who pass certification examinations receive
both the related specialisation diploma and a licence to practise their trade. As
appropriate, other ministries that issue corresponding occupational licences may
take part in conducting examinations.
Also, EPAL graduates and those holding an equivalent certificate from a
previous form of school or programme or equivalent certificates from another
country are entitled to take part in national examinations for admission to a
technological educational institution (ȉǼǿ) in specialties corresponding or related
to their diploma; the number of such places is governed by a quota system. They
can also take part in national examinations for admission to universities and ȉǼǿ,
on the same terms and conditions as apply to graduates of general upper
secondary school.
For the ‘apprenticeship year’ responsibility for students’ work placements
and associated matters is shared by EPAL and OAED. ‘Apprenticeship year’
programmes are to be financed from national and/or EU funds, with no
contribution from the participating enterprises, in contrast to most other European
countries that implement apprenticeship systems.
Non-formal VET: vocational training schools (SEK), post-secondary
VET schools (IEK), colleges and lifelong learning centres (LLC)
The Lifelong Learning Act (Law 3879/2010) defines as ‘non-formal’ education
provided in an organised framework outside the formal education system which
2.2.2.
(22) Article 6 of Law 2009/1992 had specified the levels of certificates of VET. The new
law restructuring secondary education (4186/2013) redefines these levels, which
however do not correspond to any international classification (e.g. ISCED or EQF).
The level in question refers to the most recent edition of the report comparing the
national and the European qualifications framework (January 2014).
(23) See preceding note.
24
can lead to nationally recognised qualifications. It includes initial vocational
training, continuous vocational training and adult learning.
Providers of vocational training (public or private) outside the formal
education system are supervised by the General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning
(GSLL) of the Ministry of Education. Under the new law, the specialties offered in
public vocational training and the sectors under which they are classified is
determined by decision of the Minister for Education in accordance with the
needs of the national and local economy and proposals of regional
administrations, competent ministries and social partners. Curricula for each
specialty should take into account related job profiles or required occupational
qualifications. Curricula for initial vocational training are developed and overseen
by the GSLL and certified by the Eoppep (see Section 3.2). They can be defined
in terms of learning outcomes and linked to credits, following ECVET.
2.2.2.1.
Vocational training schools
The newly-established SEK which replace the previous EPAS can be public or
private and provide initial vocational training to those who have completed
compulsory education. The programmes are of three years’ duration; there are
no tuition fees at public schools. Students who are over 20 or employed attend
evening vocational training schools for four years.
The last year of the three-year SEK programme is apprenticeship. Holders of
a lower secondary school leaving certificate or equivalent can enrol in the first
year of a SEK without sitting examinations. Under the law on secondary
education (Law 4186/2013), SEK programmes are structured into streams:
agronomy/food technology/nutrition, technological applications, arts and applied
arts, tourism and hospitality occupations. Each stream offers more than one
specialty; certain specialties are offered outside those groups.
In ‘apprenticeship year’, workshop lessons are combined with workplace
learning (28 hours/week). This process is governed by a contract between OAED
and the employer, which should provide incentives for hiring the trainee after
completion of the apprenticeship. Graduates of apprenticeship class can also
attend a programme to prepare for the assessment and certification of their
qualifications to earn their vocational diploma from Eoppep.
For want of data on the newly-established SEK, the figures that follow refer
to the EPAS. In 2011-12, a total of 11 644 students were enrolled in 534 (nonOAED) EPAS across Greece (CTI, 2011). The most popular specialties were
those for hairdressers (26%) and beauticians (15.4%), followed by thermohydraulic installations and central heating maintenance (13%) (CTI, 2011).
25
Students promoted from the second year of a SEK are awarded a level 2
vocational training certificate, according to the EQF (24). Those graduating from
apprenticeship year receive a diploma at EQF level 3 (25).
Students at an evening SEK who opt not to enrol in an apprenticeship year
can take part in qualifications assessment and certification procedures if they
have worked for at least 600 days in the specialty with which they graduated from
the second year of the SEK.
Tertiary education programmes are not open to SEK graduates (no ‘vertical
mobility’).
2.2.2.2.
Programmes in post-secondary VET schools (IEK)
These public and private institutions provide initial vocational training mostly for
graduates of upper secondary schools, and secondarily to those who have
completed a SEK programme, with a view to integrating them into the labour
market. They are open to EPAL graduates (who may enter the third semester of
a related specialty), graduates of general upper secondary school, graduates of
lower secondary school (in a limited number of specialties) and foreign nationals
(with language competence certificates).
IEK programmes last five semesters, four of theoretical and laboratory
training totalling up to 1 200 teaching hours in the specialty, and one of practical
training or apprenticeship totalling 1 050 hours, which may be continuous or
segmented. Each IEK can focus on a particular sector or offer training in several
sectors, such as applied arts, tourism/transportation, food/beverage, industrial
chemistry, informatics/telecommunications/networks, clothing/footwear, which
include various specialties.
Students who successfully complete all the prescribed semesters are
awarded a attestation of vocational training. This attestation entitles them to take
part in the (practical and theoretical) vocational training certification examinations
conducted under the jurisdiction of Eoppep, with which they acquire an upper
secondary VETcertificate. IEK graduates are awarded occupational specialisation
diplomas at EQF level 5 (26).
(24) Article 6 of Law 2009/1992 specified the level of certificates of VET. The new law
restructuring secondary education (4186/2013) redefines these levels, which
however do not correspond to any international classification (e.g. ISCED or EQF).
The level in question refers to the most recent edition of the report comparing the
national and the European qualifications framework (January 2014).
(25) See preceding note.
(26) Article 6 of Law 2009/1992 had specified the levels of certificates of VET. The new
law (4186/2013) redefines these levels, which however do not correspond to any
26
In 2012 there were 93 public IEKs in 74 cities and 46 private IEK in 15 cities,
with respective student populations of 10 800 and 21 300 trainees. For the first
semester of 2013 the existing data (GSLLa, 2013) record 9 460 students (3 868
men and 5 592 women) enrolled at public IEKs. Enrolment at IEKs fell between
2000 and 2010, while the percentage of women remained steadily above 50%.
This trend may perhaps be explained by the creation of a large number of
institutions of higher education offering similar specialties, which absorbed
secondary school leavers with lower grades, and the uncertainty relating to the
establishing of professional rights of IEK graduates.
2.2.2.3.
Tertiary level VET programmes in higher professional schools
Vocational programmes are also offered at tertiary level by higher professional
schools. Their programmes require at least two years of study and may be as
long as five years. In most cases they include a period of practical training in the
workplace, which is a particularly important feature of their courses. In some
cases admission to these schools is contingent upon passing the general
examinations for admission to higher education programmes, while others
require special admission examinations (such as university-level schools of
dance, theatre). These higher professional schools operate under the supervision
of the competent ministries (Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, etc.).
The diplomas awarded by these schools, and consequently the qualifications
they represent, are in some cases (such as the school of educational and
technological sciences, the merchant marine academies) deemed equivalent to
the diplomas awarded by ȉǼǿ, that is, they correspond to EQF level 6. Otherwise
(such as the higher professional schools of tourism occupations, military schools
for lower grade officers, police academies, dance and theatre schools), they are
considered non-university tertiary level institutions and the qualifications they
provide correspond to EQF level 5.
2.2.2.4.
Programmes offered by colleges
Colleges offer programmes based on accreditation and franchising agreements
with foreign higher education institutions that are recognised by the competent
authorities in the country in which they are established or included in a list set up
by decision of the Minister for Education which contains internationally
accreditated programmes (Law 3996/2011, on the operation of colleges). These
international classification (e.g. ISCED or EQF). The level in question refers to the
most recent edition of the report comparing the national and the European
qualifications framework (January 2014).
27
programmes lead to a first diploma after at least three years of studies or to a
postgraduate qualification.
College programmes are outside formal education and training, but the
diplomas, degrees, certificates, and any other type of attestation awarded by the
colleges can be recognised as professionally equivalent to higher education titles
awarded in the formal Greek education system (27).
Such titles may be so recognised when they certify:
(a) at least three years of study, in the case of university degrees,
(b) up to three years of study in the case of postgraduate specialisation
diplomas, and
(c) at least three years of study in the case of doctoral programmes of other EU
Member States which do not fall under the Directive 2005/36/EC.
Recognition of professional equivalence permits access to a specific
economic activity that the title-holder can exercise as a salaried employee or a
self-employed person on the same terms as holders of comparable titles of the
domestic education system.
The Ministry of Education’s Council for the Recognition of Professional
Qualifications (SAEP) is responsible for recognising professional equivalence,
insofar as existing professional profiles allow the adequacy of a title to be judged.
Otherwise, responsibility for recognising academic equivalence lies with the
National academic recognition and information centre (NARIC).
2.2.2.5.
Continuing vocational education and training: LLCs and other bodies
providing lifelong learning
In Greece continuous vocational training and general adult education is provided
by lifelong learning centres (LLCs). The Ministry of Education, through Eoppep, is
responsible for safeguarding quality of non-formal education, evaluating these
centres and monitoring their operation (see Section 3.4).
To decentralise actions in this area (Law 3879/2010 concerning lifelong
learning) administrative bodies have been set up by the Greek regional
administrations to manage the national lifelong learning network. Each region
draws up its own programme, which includes investments, vocational training
actions or programmes, and more generally actions implementing public policy
on lifelong learning in the region. The municipalities can set up LLCs or mobilise
the network of lifelong learning bodies in their region, offering programmes linked
(27) The procedure is set out in Presidential Decree 38/2010 (GG I/78). In addition, the
newer arrangements of Law 4093/2012 (GG I/222) aim at full recognition of the
professional qualifications of graduates of colleges.
28
to the local labour environment and beyond. Most municipalities have set up
LLCs, which provide a variety of general adult education and continuous
vocational training programmes. As examples of this decentralisation of lifelong
learning, in 2013 the Attica region implemented recycling and public awareness
programmes, Crete organised programmes for energy inspectors, and all across
Greece there were regional job-seeker training programmes in information and
communications technologies. The Municipality of Athens offers its employees
programmes focusing on behaviour and communication with the public, while the
Municipality of Thessaloniki runs Open University programmes in cooperation
with the academic community. Funding comes from cofinanced community
programmes (OP ‘Education and lifelong learning’) and from the regular budget
with the signature of programme contracts.
Continuing VET programmes are also provided by most universities,
including the Hellenic Open University, in a wide range of subjects (including ICT,
tourism studies, accounting, economics and administration, energy and
environment, food safety, production management, and programmes for foreign
students and repatriated Greeks).
Moreover, almost all the ministries and their supervisory bodies implement
continuing vocational training programmes for their staff or for broader groups (28)
(distance learning for Greek language teachers, cross-cultural communication,
youth entrepreneurship, job-seeker training courses in green occupations,
training for mediators, health professionals, judges, etc.).
For the present, qualifications that are acquired through continuing
vocational training (29) are not correlated to levels of the national qualifications
framework, but this will eventually be done.
(28) For more information see GSLL 2013Į, pp 49-88. By way of example we mention the
Ministry of Education’s special applications service, the General Secretariat for
Lifelong Learning via the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation, the Centre for the
Greek Language, the special service implementing ESF cofinanced actions of the
Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare, OAED, the National School of Public
Health, the National School of Public Administration and Local Government, the
National School of Judges, and others.
(29) ‘Continuous vocational training’ means training for persons in the labour force which
supplements, updates or upgrades knowledge, competences or skills that were
acquired from vocational education and initial vocational training systems or from
professional experience, and which is intended to help them enter or reenter the
labour market and to foster personal and career advancement (Law 3879/2010).
29
Vocational education and training for special groups
In all the forms and at all levels of formal and non-formal VET provision is made
for special categories of students. More specifically, special education vocational
upper secondary schools and pilot vocational training and special education
schools can be set up, as can public and private special education IEKs. Also,
most lifelong learning providers have general adult education and continuous
vocational training programmes for those with special needs (AMEA), for
example in the LLCs or in centres specialising in social and vocational integration
for the disabled, and for recovering or recovered addicts, like the Therapy Centre
for Dependent Individuals (Kethea) or the Organisation Against Drugs (OKANA).
2.2.3.
OAED apprenticeship programmes
Apprenticeship was established by legislative Decree 3971/1959 and is based on
the German dual learning system which combines in-class education with paid
practical work in a business.
OAED operates a total of 51 EPAS apprenticeship schools, which have an
average annual enrolment of 10 000 students, depending on the relevant annual
announcement. Their courses last two school years (four semesters). They admit
students aged 16 to 23 who have completed at least one class of the upper
secondary school. The paid practical work takes place four or five days a week in
public or private sector enterprises on terms specified in the relevant
apprenticeship contract. Participating enterprises are subsidised. The school is
responsible for finding work placements for its students.
As of 2011, the subsidy amount for enterprises is EUR 12 for each day of
traineeship. The subsidy may be paid to the employer or directly to the
apprentice. The amount paid to the trainee student is 70% of the minimum wage
set by the national general collective labour agreement (EGSSE), for all four
traineeship semesters.
The institution of apprenticeship has been strengthened across the country
by the establishment and operation of 30 vocational education career offices
(GDEE) within the framework of the EPAS. These aim to systematically link
vocational education to the working world by placing students in appropriate jobs
in private and public sector enterprises. The effectiveness of the apprenticeship
system in terms of labour market integration is clearly illustrated by the
percentage of trainees entering employment on completion of their studies (70%)
(GSLL, 2013a, p. 74).
On completion of their studies EPAS graduates have obtained an EPAS
specialisation diploma corresponding to EQF level 4, work experience, and
accumulate pension rights.
2.2.4.
30
Between 2001-02 and 2011-12 enrolment in OAED’s EPAS schools dropped
by more than 32%, a figure comparable to the general drop in numbers in VET
training (EPAL and IEK). Over that period the number of girls in EPAS schools
rose from 25% of the student population to 36.5%.
The most popular courses offered by these schools are those for
electricians, plumbers, car mechanics, computer technicians and hairdressers.
2.3.
Other forms of vocational training
Business and the social partners play an active role in continuing vocational
training. The role of the state is confined to financing and, in some cases,
assuring the quality of the services provided, through the accreditation of
providers and teachers/trainers.
A fair number of enterprises provide systematic organised training
programmes for their employees (in-house training), chiefly through seminars
and accelerated programmes. In-house training is usually funded through the
fund for employment and vocational training (LAEK), which is handled by OAED.
LAEK programmes can include:
(a) training programmes in Greece (in-house and inter-company);
(b) postgraduate or other long-term educational programmes in Greece;
(c) training programmes that take place outside Greece.
The social partners implement vocational training programmes for their
members and for other groups of citizens. Most of these programmes are
covered by cofinancing from the European Social Fund. The qualifications
acquired from this type of training are not recognised by any national authority.
GSEE implements vocational training programmes aimed at workers in the
private sector, the unemployed, and its own union officials. More specifically,
these programmes target sectors like tourism, technical trades and
manufacturing/construction, teachers and teacher trainers, commerce,
environment, consumer protection, social economy, informatics and
economics/administration.
The Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants
(GSEVEE) implements training and retraining programmes relating to tourism
occupations, environmental management and basic technical vocational
education skills, addressed to employers, self-employed persons, workers in
every sector of the economy, and also to the unemployed, who accounted for
about 6.5% of all trainees in 2013. The number of programmes more than
31
doubled between 2011 and 2013 (October), as did the number of trainees over
the same period (from 5 319 to 11 285, an increase of 112%).
The Civil Servants’ Confederation (ADEDY) implements programmes
designed to improve and upgrade the knowledge and skills of civil service
personnel, with a view to promoting modernisation of public administration
services and improving the skills of public sector staff.
The National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce (NCHC) implements
programmes for the personnel of commercial enterprises.
SEV has a branch (Sevstegi) that implements training programmes,
initiatives and lifelong learning networks aimed at improving the knowledge, skills
and competence of the country’s labour force, promoting innovation and boosting
the competitiveness and export orientation of Greek enterprises.
Training programmes are also run by certain press journalists’ associations,
the chambers of commerce, the Technical Chamber of Greece (ȉǼǼ), the
Hellenic Management Association (HMA), the Hellenic Adult Education
Association, METAction (an implementing partner of the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees), local entities, cultural groups and museums.
The social partners have lately assumed an even larger role in planning and
implementing vocational training actions funded by the the European Social Fund
(ESF). These actions address sectoral or local/regional labour market needs and
combine training with guidance and couselling services and work placements to
provide on-the-job experience (see Chapter 4). These training programmes cover
both technical (ICT, safety and quality, sales, energy and environment) and
general skills (communications, project management, teamwork, etc.).
32
CHAPTER 3.
3
S
Shaping qualificatio
ons in vocatio
v
onal
e
educatiion and
d training
3..1.
Dia
agnosing
g the skkills need
ded by the labou
ur
ma
arket
Ce
edefop’s medium-term
m
m forecasts to 2020 (C
Cedefop, 20
010b) see a clear rise in
jobs requiring
g high level formal qua
alifications (34%) in Eu
urope, whilee 50% will be
in jobs requiring medium-level qua
alifications; at the sam
me time, moost European
ountries exp
pect a drop in employm
ment of unsk
killed worke
ers (30).
co
Figure 8.
Fu
uture job opp
portunities by level of qualification
q
ns (Greece 22013-25), in
‘00
00s
Source: Cedeffop, skills foreca
ast, 2014.
The trends record
ded for Grreece follow
w the gen
neral Europpean pattern.
Em
mployment for those with
w low skillls is expected to dimin
nish (dropp ing from 32
2%
to
o 21%), whille jobs requ
uiring mid-ra
ange and hiigh-level qu
ualifications are expected
to
o rise (from 41%
4
to 45%
% and from 27% to 34%
% respectively).
(300) For updatted skill fore
ecast informa
ation, http://w
www.cedefop
p.europa.eu//EN/identifyin
ngskills-need
ds/index.asp
px.
33
Job lossses are expected main
nly in the primary and secondary
s
ssectors, wh
hile
th
he services sector is expected to continue generatin
ng new jobbs (Cedefo
op,
20
010a) (Figu
ure 9). More specifica
ally, emplo
oyment in the
t
distribuution/transpo
ort
se
ector is exp
pected to increase by 1
159 000 ne
ew jobs betw
ween 2013 and 2025, in
otther service
es by 87 000
0 jobs and iin constructtion by 56 000 jobs.
Figure 9.
Em
mployment per
p sector (G
Greece), in ‘000s, 2003--25
Source: Cedeffop, skills foreca
ast, 2014.
Attemptss have bee
en made iin Greece to create a mechaniism for early
identification of mediu
um-term tre
ends in la
abour mark
ket needs through the
Em
mployment Observatory (PAEP S
SA) and later the Natio
onal Labou r and Human
esources Institute (EIIEAD). The
Re
ese did nott produce the
t
desiredd results and
co
ould not be
e used to shape
s
educcation and training po
olicy. Conseequently, ‘the
ad
doption of a long-term perspectivve for the developmentt of skills a nd abilities in
th
he populatio
on, even during
d
the crisis conttinues to be
b a ‘challeenge for the
Government and the so
ocial partne
ers’ (GSLL, 2013b, p. 17).
1 Perhapps the bigge
est
prroblem in connection
with the sstrategic de
c
evelopment of skills iss the lack of
ad
dequate info
ormation ab
bout labour force abilities and skillls. Greece is part of the
se
econd round
d of the OE
ECD’s PIAA
AC survey conducted
c
in
n 32 countrries to asse
ess
th
he skills of th
he adult pop
pulation (16
6-65 years), the results of which arre expected to
e published in 2015.
be
The bussiness surve
ey carried o
out in 2011 by
b the Foun
ndation for Industrial and
Ecconomic Re
esearch (IO
OBE) to forrecast chan
nges in regional local systems and
local labour markets provides
p
im
mportant in
nformation about dom
mestic human
re
esources ne
eeds and the skills in d emand. Mo
ost companiies (roughlyy seven out of
10
0) reported that their workers did
d not take initiatives or
o risks, weere lacking in
34
organisational, project management and technology/innovation-handling skills,
and often did not have the proper technical knowledge for the job they were
doing. Clearly, today’s labour force is deficient not only in social skills but also in
job-relevant technical knowledge. There seems to be much less of a problem
with foreign language and communications skills, and the limited use of basic
computer applications (IOBE and Remaco, 2013, p. 53).
The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) has developed a mechanism
for diagnosing a company’s needs as regards occupations and skills (SEV,
2013). It currently operates in eight sectors of particular interest to Greek industry
and more generally to the Greek economy from the aspect of development and
employment perspectives up to the year 2020: food, ICT, energy, construction
products, supply chain, environment, metals and health. Using different growth
scenarios for the period considered, it identified 87 key occupations as likely to
require significantly different knowledge, skills and abilities in the future.
SEV’s forecasts coincide to some extent with those of the McKinsey report
on perspectives for growth in certain economic sectors in Greece in the next 10
years (McKinsey and Company, 2011). This study identifies the five major
sectors (tourism, energy, food processing, agricultural production, retail and
wholesale trade) and eight branches (rising stars), that are expected to grow
dynamically and drive Greece’s development efforts over the next 10 years:
production of generic drugs, fish farming, medical tourism, care for the elderly
and the chronically ill, creation of regional transit hubs, waste management, and
secondary ‘rising stars’ including specialised categories of foods and the creation
of targeted classical studies programmes. The study thinks that these branches
will be able to generate 520 000 new jobs over the next few years.
None the less, the recent changes in the institutional framework for VET
(Law 4186/2013 on secondary education) suggest that economic forecasts were
not taken into account in deciding which specialties would be offered by VET
bodies (EPAL, SEK and IEK). As a result, there is a risk of mismatch between
skills being developed and the real needs of the economy.
In addition, in a period of deep recession and exceptionally high
unemployment there is a risk greater than that of a mismatch of skills: which is
that skills will lose their value. Unskilled and older workers are at greater risk, as
are the long-term unemployed. There are clear signs that in Greece there is
significant overeducation.
Policies designed to match supply and demand with skills include (GSLL,
2013b, p. 17):
(a) systematic collection of data relating to the skills in demand in the rising
specialties and sectors of the economy and those offered by the education
35
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
3.2.
and training system to limit all types of mismatches between supply and
demand in terms of skills;
focusing on learning outcomes and the development of certifiable skills;
more work-based education and training programmes;
development of skills within the labour force, with support from business and
the state, including the possibility of recognition and certification;
boosting the development of new skills, such as problem-solving,
communication, green skills, lifelong career management and
entrepreneurship.
Basic thematic axes for the development of
curricula and qualifications
Amending the recent legislation
The public vocational upper secondary schools offer specialties that are listed in
the recent law on secondary education (Law 4186/2013) (see Chapter 2); these
specialties and their provision are determined by decision of the Minister for
Education.
The new law also provides that the specialties offered will reflect the needs
of the economy, the proposals of the regional VET boards, social partners,
chambers and professional associations, and the recommendations of the
Labour Ministry and OAED, the Ministry of Development and other competent
ministries.
The detailed curricula are to be shaped in accordance with the guidelines
laid down by ECVET.
Where these exist, the job profiles certified by the National Organisation for
the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (Eoppep) will also be
taken into account in designing the curricula by sector and specialty.
The law also requires that the duration and details of the timetable and
curriculum be assessed and, if this is deemed necessary, revised at least every
six years.
The initial vocational training curricula are developed by the GSLL (which
also supervises all the public and private vocational training providers) and
certified by Eoppep (see Section 3.2). The course outline for each specialty
includes the job profile, the learning outcomes expressed as knowledge, skills
and competence by subject and specialty, the corresponding credits, the matchups between specialty and candidate placement, the timetable and specific
curriculum, the teaching methods, the equipment.
3.2.1.
36
Job profiles
The job profiles developed and certified by the National Certifications Centre,
now Eoppep, are complete descriptions of each occupation, including:
(a) the title/definition of the job and/or specialty;
(b) a background history;
(c) the current legislative framework;
(d) breakdown of the job and/or specialty into specifications;
(e) knowledge, skills and competences required to practise it;
(f) proposed pathways for acquiring the necessary qualifications;
(g) indicative ways of assessing the knowledge, skills and competence
associated with the job.
3.2.2.
Job profiles are drawn up in cooperation with the social partners (workers
and employers) and certified by Eoppep; to date, Eoppep has drawn up and
certified 202 job profiles (31). Job profiles were intended, among other things, to
be used for the development of VET programmes and standards for the
recognition and certification of qualifications. These aims have not yet been
achieved and the use of the profiles has remained limited.
National qualifications framework, learning outcomes and
development of a system for the recognition and certification of
qualifications
The development of Greece’s national qualifications framework (NQF), which
was instituted with the enactment of the law on lifelong learning (Law 3879/2010),
is expected to be an important factor in the shaping of qualifications, the
adaptation of programmes and the promotion of learning outcomes. The object of
the NQF is to recognise and correlate the learning outcomes of all forms of
formal and non-formal education and informal learning, so that they can be
certified and classified and referenced to the levels of the European qualifications
framework (Article 16).
The establishment of the NQF has brought about two main changes in the
Greek education and training system:
(a) the ‘learning-outcome’ approach has been officially adopted as a necessary
condition for granting a qualification and/or designing new ones;
(b) the possibility of checking and assuring the quality of all qualifications
granted has been improved.
3.2.3.
(31) For the complete list of job profiles that have been developed see:
http://www.eoppep.gr/index.php/el/structure-and-program-certification/workings/listep.
37
Already a host of Greek (public and private) and foreign entities have
registered as providers of educational services and have been granted the right
to issue awards. With the work on the NQF Greece has for the first time
undertaken to systematise recognition of the titles granted by these entities and
organise them into a unified framework. The initial phase covers the integration of
the titles awarded by the formal education system into the NQF; the final target,
however, is to bring all the certificates of education or training awarded in the
country within the NQF (Eoppep, 2013).
The Ministry of Education is responsible for the overall supervision and
operation of the NQF and the coordination of the bodies involved. Eoppep is
responsible for:
(a) developing the NQF and referencing it to the European qualifications
framework;
(b) recognising outcomes of non-formal education and informal learning;
(c) referencing the qualifications gained via formal education, non-formal
education and informal learning to the NQF levels;
(d) creating sectoral descriptors in the form of the knowledge, skills and
competence that correspond to the levels of the NQF.
Also involved in the development of the NQF was the national advisory
committee, whose membership includes representatives of the providers of
formal and non-formal education services, entities responsible for the recognition
and certification of qualifications, the social partners, and expert consultants.
After the six-month online public consultation period (2010), the Ministry of
Education and Eoppep drafted a proposal for the NQF (2013), which fine-tuned
its structure and content and laid down conditions and criteria for its development
and effective application (Eoppep, 2013). This draft formulation presented an
initial classification of existing qualifications awarded in the framework of the
country’s formal education system. The NQF has eight levels, each of which will
have its own set of sectoral descriptors and types of qualifications. The
referencing of the NQF to the EQF was completed in December 2013, and the
referencing report was presented to the advisory group for the European
qualifications framework. For now the certification bodies whose qualifications
are in the present phase covered by the NQF are the Ministry of Education,
Eoppep, and the universities and technological educational institutions.
The greatest difficulty in the development and implementation of the national
qualifications framework was associated with the application of the learning
outcomes approach. Learning outcomes, defined as ‘statements’ of what a
student/trainee must know, understand and be able to do after completing a
learning process, are a prerequisite for the recognition and validation of non-
38
formal and informal learning: they provide a common conceptual framework
within which different forms of learning (formal, non-formal, informal) can be
integrated, evaluated, assessed and certified. Samples of this approach already
exist in the detailed curricula and job profiles that have been produced to date.
However, learning outcomes are still not generally used in VET curricula.
The final phase of development of the NQF covers:
(a) the development and pilot implementation of a methodology for specifying
learning outcomes;
(b) the development of procedures and criteria for bringing the qualifications
relating to certain sectors of the economy (‘sectoral qualifications’) within the
NQF;
(c) the development of a system by which certifying bodies can apply for their
qualifications to be integrated into the NQF.
As the proposal for the Greek national qualifications framework says, ‘once
the NQF has been established and the process of referencing it to the European
qualifications framework is completed, the plan is to develop – wherever this
proves to be necessary – specific policies for the operation of new certification
entities in the future and for defining the proper relationship between the NQF
and the international ‘sectoral’ certification bodies’ (Eoppep, 2013, p. 14).
A parallel project currently under way, alongside the development of the
national qualifications framework, is the creation of a system for the validation
and certification of qualifications. When completed, it will allow people who have
acquired qualifications via non-formal and informal learning paths to have them
validated and certified, independently of any education or training institution and
without involving closed bureaucratic procedures, which systemically reproduce
educational, vocational – and by extension social – exclusion. To date there has
been no way of validating and certifying knowledge, skills and competences
acquired through non-formal and informal learning, despite the fact that a
substantial share of the vocational skills of Greece’s citizens have been acquired
in this way. This means that service users face a lack of professionalism, while
workers without recognised and certified qualifications have little opportunity for
career advancement.
The law calls for the development of a validation and certification system
and the referencing of qualifications to the levels of the NQF (Law 3879/2010).
While some preparatory work has been done, the project will take some time to
complete. The competent agency – Eoppep – will:
(a) license and monitor the operation of the bodies that certify the qualifications
acquired through non-formal and informal learning;
(b) develop and implement a credit transfer system for VET;
39
(c) assure the quality of non-formal education;
(d) propose the definition of professional rights for the holders of qualifications
obtained in the framework of lifelong learning;
(e) reference international sectoral qualifications to the NQF;
(f) recognise the equivalence of educational qualifications earned abroad, apart
from those of higher education.
The actions that are gradually expected to ease development of a validation
and certification of qualifications system in Greece include:
(a) creation and operation of a national advisory committee;
(b) development of a unified framework (known as ʌ3) for the qualitative
upgrading of lifelong learning (initial/continuing vocational training and
general adult education);
(c) listing and formulating all the qualifications awarded by educational bodies
and classifying them within the national qualifications framework (this is
currently in progress);
(d) redesigning the database of bodies and qualifications in line with recent EU
guidelines (compatibility with the EQF web portal);
(e) developing methods and tools for classifying qualifications within the national
qualifications framework and referencing them to the levels of the EQF.
Comparability, recognition and transfer of qualifications
ECVET, which promotes utilisation of qualifications acquired in other countries
and sectors, removal of barriers between the several areas of education, and
recognition of qualifications both between different countries’ education systems
and between different systems of education within the same country, is expected
to be an important factor in the future shaping of programmes and qualifications.
In Greece, the law on the development of lifelong learning (Law 3369/2010) and
the new law restructuring secondary education (Law 4186/2013) make provision
for curricula to be geared to the ECVET system (Article 10). The organisation
responsible for developing and implementing the VET credit transfer system is
Eoppep, which must now proceed with this task in cooperation with the social
partners. For the moment credit points for existing vocational training
programmes are being awarded on a pilot basis.
Meanwhile, the State Scholarships Foundation (ǿȀȊ), as coordinator of the
national team of ECVET experts, has prepared a Guide to the presentation,
development and implementation of the European credit system for vocational
education and training (ECVET) in Greece (ǿȀȊ, 2013). This guide, which has not
yet been implemented, describes what has to be done to apply ECVET in Greece
(learning agreements between VET providers, student mobility to hosting
3.2.4.
40
institutions abroad, assessment of learning outcomes and awarding of credit
points in the hosting institution, recording credit points in the trainee’s personal
transcript, validation of the learning outcomes acquired abroad and recognition of
the credit points acquired as units of the vocational qualification).
3.3.
Quality assurance
Assurance of the quality of VET is a prerequisite for the recognition of
qualifications obtained from non-formal and informal learning, for the
transparency of qualifications and for enhancing the reputation of VET. The
creation of a unified quality assurance framework is essential, given that:
(a) provision of educational services has spread to areas that until recently were
not under the supervision of a national authority;
(b) students/trainees are now aware that they have a say in the shaping of the
services provided and the right to demand quality services;
(c) training providers realise that assuring the quality of their services is a
comparative advantage in a continuously expanding and changing market;
(d) the educational process, especially at times of economic crisis and fiscal
austerity, has to be productive and effective.
The law on lifelong learning (Law 3369/2010) sets quality standards for
lifelong learning, instituting a requirement of teacher and trainer competence and
professional development for teachers and trainers in adult education and
stipulating continuous monitoring and evaluation of the national lifelong learning
network. Specifically, it envisages (Article 18) that providers of lifelong learning
services that are funded from the public purse must be evaluated as regards the
realisation of the objects set out in their lifelong learning programme and receive
subsidies based on their effectiveness and productiveness. It also provides
(Article 19) for the establishment of a system for the professional development
and evaluation of the trainers and staff involved in non-formal education and
teachers in ‘second chance’ schools. These provisions have not yet been
implemented.
Greece has incorporated the basic principles and quality criteria laid down in
the recommendation for quality assurance in VET (32) in its ʌ3 national quality
assurance framework, which defines quality as the outcome produced when
quality criteria are applied to all the components of the education process:
(32) Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council (2009a).
41
(a) the framework within which education and training are provided (structures,
teaching material, programmes, teachers and trainers);
(b) the procedures (teaching methods and application);
(c) the learning outcomes (the knowledge, skills and competence acquired).
More specifically, the ʌ3 framework lays down eight quality principles for
lifelong learning (33), which the competent authorities are asked to adopt and
further refine (Ministry of Education, 2011). The fundamental principles are
further qualified for each component of the educational process (inputs,
processes, outputs), resulting in a list of 15 main indicators. For example, the
principle that lifelong learning is effective is refined by two indicators: the degree
of certification of the qualifications acquired and the degree of usefulness of the
acquired qualifications in employment.
The ʌ3 framework is intended to be applied by all providers of education and
vocational training operating outside the formal education system. These bodies
are expected to fall in line with the ʌ3 national quality framework, further refine
the quality indicators, apply measurement, evaluation and revision procedures to
their systems and procedures, and supply data to the GSLL. The ʌ3 quality
framework was implemented on a pilot basis by, mainly, IEKs in 2011. The
results of this first pilot approach were evaluated for the revision of the framework
in 2012. Since then, nothing further has been done towards implementing it.
Other recent legislative initiatives in Greece aimed at upgrading the quality
of education provided at all educational levels are:
(a) Law 3848/2010 on upgrading the role of the teachers and trainers –
establishment of norms for evaluation and meritocracy in education and
other provisions;
(b) Law 4009/2011 on the structure, operation, quality assurance of studies, and
internationalisation of institutions of higher education.
(33) In developing the fundamental quality principles the following were taken into
account: (a) the most widespread and up-to-date definitions of quality; (b) the
strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (Europe
2020) (Council of the European Union, 2009); (c) the EFQM European excellence
model (2010), which was used as a basis or benchmark for the practical application
of quality in lifelong learning providers from different countries, such as Finland; and
(d) recent conclusions from the revision of strategic approaches and priorities in
VET.
42
CHAPTER 4.
Promoting vocational education and training
4.1.
Incentives for entering vocational education and
training
The percentage of young people who choose vocational education has
consistently remained below 30%, when the corresponding EU average is 50%
(Cedefop, 2012a). The reasons for this low take-up rate include the perceptions
held by parents and children, the ‘second-rate’ image deriving from the poor
performances of the students who choose vocational education, the lack of clarity
in the regulations governing access to certain occupations, and the frequent but
fragmentary reforms that fail to provide solid prospects for graduates of VET (see
Chapter 2).
The Greek state is encouraging enrolment in VET through a series of
regulatory, financial and other incentives addressed to individuals, businesses
and VET providers (34). The object of all these incentives is to increase the takeup of VET, prevent early school leaving and remove geographical, sectoral and
institutional obstacles.
Incentives for the individual
The main incentives used by the state to encourage young people to enter VET
are regulatory and financial. Public VET is free and, following examinations,
assures graduates of most specialties access to the occupation and the labour
market. With the establishment of the 12-month apprenticeship, EPAL graduates
who pass their certification examinations receive a level 4 (higher education)
qualification. EPAL graduates are also entitled to sit special examinations for
entry into an institution of higher education (tertiary tier).
The new secondary education law (Law 4186/2013) also concerns VET. It
aims to achieve closer ties with the labour market and the economy, so as to
attract more young people to this sector. It is not possible to assess the results of
the most recent reforms yet, since they were first implemented in the school year
2013-14.
4.1.1.
(34) These are participation incentives, which are not the same as learning incentives.
The first (participation incentives) are associated with the means that will help people
achieve a goal, while the second (learning incentives) are usually intrinsic and
associated with satisfaction from participation in a learning procedure.
43
The lifelong learning law (Law 3879/2010) also provides for incentives for
developing lifelong learning and updating the knowledge, skills and competence
of the country’s human resources (Article 18). These include:
(a) linking non-formal education programmes to the formal education system
through accredited modular programmes. These would allow the recognition,
accumulation and transfer of credit points between systems;
(b) granting education leave for participation in lifelong learning programmes,
especially for workers in the private sector;
(c) setting up personal education accounts, with contributions from the employer
and the employee (and possibly the state) to cover the worker’s training
needs;
(d) establishing personal learning time accounts to let workers take part in
continuous training programmes.
Most of these legislative provisions have not yet been implemented.
A number of established initiatives are expected to give participation in VET
a real boost in coming years provided that they are all fully implemented; these
are:
(a) the development of a system for the validation and certification of
qualifications acquired through non-formal and informal learning;
(b) recognition and referencing of learning outcomes from all forms of formal,
non-formal and informal learning and linking them to levels of the national
qualifications framework;
(c) the development and implementation of a credit transfer system for VET;
(d) the implementation of a national quality assurance framework in VET and
lifelong learning.
Apart from such regulatory incentives, there are also financial incentives for
workers and jobless to take part in continuous vocational training programmes,
aimed at upgrading their knowledge, skills and competences. Continuous
vocational training is subsidised primarily from ESF, but also from the Greek
LAEK. In other cases, participation in adult education and continuous vocational
training programmes is a prerequisite for entry into an occupation (such as
energy inspectors, mediators) or for career advancement and qualification for
positions of responsibility (such as teachers, public administration).
In response to the huge increase in youth unemployment (persons aged 1524) (35), the Ministry of Labour drew up, in collaboration with the Ministries of
(35) The unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 was 53.9% in the third
quarter of 2012, when the action plan was drafted.
44
Education, Culture and Development, a unified operational Action plan of
targeted interventions to boost youth employment and entrepreneurship in the
framework of the national strategic reference framework (NSRF) operational
programme (36) (2012). In the framework of this action plan, a number of
vocational training-related initiatives are being implemented to foster employment
and entrepreneurship of persons aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 35. These include:
(a) strengthening vocational training and apprenticeship systems, particularly by
combining training and work experience, through programmes that subsidise
job placements for young people and practical training in workplace settings
either during education or later (such as practical training for graduates of
tertiary education institutions, IEKs or other bodies for initial vocational
training, students in OAED apprenticeship schools and students at merchant
marine academies);
(b) institution of systematic transition-to-work programmes to help students gain
initial work experience. These would need to be adapted to the needs and
profiles of young job-seekers, through a combination of guidance,
counselling, training and employment (e.g. job voucher schemes for young
job-seekers);
(c) providing more counselling and vocational guidance, especially for young
job-seekers. Supporting vocational guidance in schools, career orientation
and entrepreneurship counselling (such as through vocational education
career offices, actions promoting youth entrepreneurship);
(d) measures aimed at reducing early school leaving.
The action plan has a budget of EUR 600 000 000 and targets 350 000
beneficiaries. It is the first integrated effort on the part of the Greek State to boost
employment and entrepreneurship among those aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 35, and
particularly those with low-level qualifications. The plan embeds all the NSRF
actions and programmes for young people that are supported by ESF and the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It identifies common points and
creates joint actions bringing together planning and implementing bodies for
education, employment and entrepreneurship policy. It also takes into account
the recommendations of the social partners, and builds on evaluation and
assessment of prior actions in an attempt to cure the weaknesses of similar past
endeavours. It stands, therefore, as a kind of model for how the European youth
guarantee scheme could work in Greece. Implementing this scheme will be a
challenge, given the particular conditions prevailing in the country (extremely high
(36) Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare (2013).
45
youth unemployment, minimal demand from the labour market, the collapse of
whole sectors of the economy, uncertain business environment, long period of
transition from education to work, low prestige of vocational education, etc.). It
does, however, create opportunities to try out new models – decentralised,
innovative and viable – aimed at boosting youth employment (Cholezas, 2013).
Incentives for businesses and VET training providers
The lifelong learning law (Law 3879/2010, Article 18) establishes incentives for
the development of lifelong learning and updating of the knowledge, skills and
abilities of the country’s human resources, including pegging subsidies for LLL
providers to evaluation: that is, providers of lifelong learning (vocational training
and general adult education) services that are supported by public funds should
be evaluated as regards the realisation of the objects set out in their lifelong
learning programme and be funded on the basis of their effectiveness and
productiveness. This provision has not yet been implemented.
In addition, companies are entitled to receive back what they pay into LAEK
if they carry out training programmes for their personnel (37). The revenues of this
account, which is managed by OAED, come from employers’ contributions to the
Social Security Organisation (ǿȀǹ), with each company contributing 0.45% of its
gross wage bill.
Many companies receive financial incentives to offer training places to
students in or graduates of VET programmes. In this way they contribute to the
education of the trainees, as for example in the EPAS apprenticeship schemes
and SEKs, as provided by the new secondary education law (Law 4186/2013).
There are also subsidies for companies that take part in vocational training
actions funded by the NSRF (ESF) that combine training with counselling and
work placement schemes (see Chapter 2).
4.1.2.
4.2.
Guidance and lifelong counselling
Specialised centres offer counselling and vocational guidance (SYEP) services to
students, job-seekers, workers interested in career management or a career
change, parents, and special target groups (such as the disabled, immigrants).
The agency responsible for lifelong counselling and vocational guidance is
Eoppep (38), which is a member of the corresponding European network
(37) http://laek.oaed.gr/ [3.2.2013].
(38) http://www.eoppep.gr/index.php/el/work-guidance-and-consulting/eoppepsyep/eoppep-part [3.2.2013].
46
(ELGPN) that was set up by the European Commission in 2007. Eoppep is
responsible for: helping to design and implement national counselling and
vocational guidance policy, coordinating the action of public and private SYEP
services providers, promoting the training and further education of SYEP staff
and specifying the required qualifications, implementing actions in support of the
activity of counsellors, and supporting citizens in matters relating to development
and career management.
Eoppep’s ‘Ploigos’ web portal is the national educational opportunities
database, providing information about studies in Greece at all levels and in all
types of education (general, vocational, initial vocational training, adult education,
distance learning, etc.) (39).
Teenagers especially can use the vocational guidance portal (40) to look for
information about occupations, take skills and vocational guidance tests and
create their own personal skills file.
There is also an electronic lifelong careers counselling forum with the
codename IRIS, which is intended for public and private sector vocational
guidance and careers counsellors and aims at encouraging supplementary
actions by public and private sector counselling bodies and staff, nationally and in
each region separately, and improving the quality of the services provided (41).
The Ministry of Education offers in-school vocational guidance to students
and parents (information about job and study possibilities, alternative pathways,
risks that go with dropping out of school) through the decentralised structures of
SEPED. The secondary school programme includes a vocational guidance class,
and vocational guidance can be selected as the focus of inter-thematic projects.
There are also counselling and guidance centres for meetings bringing together
children or young people (up to age 25) and their teachers and guardians.
OAED also offers counselling services aimed at mobilising the unemployed
and helping them enter the labour market. These services include (42):
(a) counselling and vocational guidance – career management, for first-time jobseekers with no clear occupational goal and people obliged to change their
occupation;
(b) counselling for people looking for work who have qualifications that are in
demand in the labour market;
(39) http://ploigos.eoppep.gr/ekep/external/index.html [3.2.2014].
(40) http://www.eoppep.gr/teens/ [3.2.2014].
(41) http://guidanceforum.eoppep.gr/ [3.2.2014].
(42) http://www.oaed.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&
id=451&Itemid=606&lang=el [3.2.2014].
47
(c) business initiative counselling, to encourage the development of business
skills and help unemployed persons start businesses with enhanced viability
prospects.
OAED is also a member of the European job mobility portal (EURES)
network, which provides information, advice and hiring/placement services to
workers and job-seekers in other European countries, and to employers looking
to hire people. In Greece there are 39 EURES points in various cities (43).
(43) http://www.oaed.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=534&
Itemid=189&lang=el [3.2.2014].
48
Bibliography
[Accessed 31.1.2014]
Cedefop (2010a). Skills supply and demand in Europe: medium-term forecast up
to 2020. Country fiche: Greece.
Cedefop (2010b). Skills supply and demand in Europe: medium-term forecast up
to 2020. Luxembourg: Publications Office.
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/3052_en.pdf.
Cedefop (2012a). From education to working life: the labour market outcomes
from vocational education and training. Luxembourg: Publications Office.
Cedefop Reference series.
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/3063_en.pdf.
Cedefop (2012b). Trends in VET policy in Europe 2010-12. Luxembourg:
Publications Office. Cedefop working paper; No 16.
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/6116_en.pdf.
Cedefop (2012c). Future skills supply and demand in Europe: forecast 2012.
Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop research paper; No 21.
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/5526_en.pdf.
Cholezas, I. (2013). Youth guarantee in times of austerity: the Greek case.
Berlin: Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Department of western Europe/North
America. (International Policy Analysis).
http://library.fes.de/pdffiles/id/10316-20131118.pdf.
Council of the European Union (2009). Notices from European Union institutions
and bodies: Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework
for European cooperation in education and training (EU 2020). Official
Journal of the European Union, 2009/C 119/02.
http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:119:0002:
0010:EL:PDF.
Council of the European Union (2012). Council recommendation of 20 December
2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning. Official Journal of
the European Union, 2012/C 398/01.
http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2012:398:0001:0005:EL:
PDF.
Council of the European Union; European Commission (2010). The Bruges
communiqué.
http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2010/75928.pdf.
CTI (2011). ǹʌȠIJȪʌȦıȘ IJȘȢ ȣijȚıIJȐȝİȞȘȢ țĮIJȐıIJĮıȘȢ ıIJĮ ǼȆǹȁ-ǼȆǹȈ ȝİ IJȘȞ
ĮȞȐʌIJȣȟȘ țĮȚ ĮȟȚȠʌȠȓȘıȘ İȡȖĮȜİȓȦȞ ȉǼǼ ıIJȠ ʌȜĮȓıȚȠ İijĮȡȝȠȖȒȢ IJȦȞ
İțʌĮȚįİȣIJȚțȫȞ ʌȠȜȚIJȚțȫȞ țĮȚ ʌĮȡİȝȕȐıİȦȞ IJȠȣ ȊʌȠȣȡȖİȓȠȣ ȆĮȚįİȓĮȢ, ǻȚĮ
ǺȓȠȣ ȂȐșȘıȘȢ țĮȚ ĬȡȘıțİȣȝȐIJȦȞ [Record of the existing situation in EPALEPAS schools with the development and utilisation of ICT tools in the
framework of the implementation of the education policies and interventions
49
of the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs]. Rion:
Computer Techology Institute. Working group 2, scientific planning and
research, deliverable P2.3 final report (unpublished).
Elstat (2013). Ǿ EȜȜȐįĮ ıİ ĮȡȚșȝȠȪȢ 2013 [Greece in numbers 2013]. Piraeus:
Elstat.
http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/General/ELLAS_I
N_NUMBERS_GR.pdf.
Eoppep (2013). ȆȡȩIJĮıȘ ȖȚĮ IJȠ ǼȜȜȘȞȚțȩ ʌȜĮȓıȚȠ ʌȡȠıȩȞIJȦȞ [Proposal for the
Hellenic qualifications framework], 20 February 2013 (unpublished).
Eurofound (2012). NEETs, young people not in employment, education or
training: characteristics, costs and policy responses in Europe. Luxembourg:
Publications Office.
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2012/54/en/1/EF1254EN.pdf.
European Commission (2012). Rethinking education, country analysis, Part I.
Luxembourg: Publications Office. SWD(2012)377 final.
http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0377:FIN:EN:HTML.
European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2008).
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April
2008 on the establishment of the European qualifications framework for
lifelong learning. Official Journal of the European Union, 2008/C 111/01.
http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:111:0001:
0007:EL:PDF.
European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2009a).
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June
2009 on the establishment of a European quality assurance reference
framework for vocational education and training. Official Journal of the
European Union, 2009/C 155/01.
http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:155:0001:0010:EL:
PDF.
European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2009b).
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June
2009 on the establishment of a European credit system for vocational
education and training (ECVET). Official Journal of the European Union
(2009/C 155/02). http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:155:0011:0018:EL:
PDF.
Eurostat (2013). Basic figures on the EU, autumn 2013 edition. Luxembourg:
Publications Office. Eurostat compact guides.
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-GL-13-003/EN/KSGL-13-003-EN.PDF.
GSEVEE; ǿȃǼ; ǿȂǼ (2010). ǼțʌȩȞȘıȘ ȝİȜȑIJȘȢ ȖȚĮ ȑȞĮ İȞȚĮȓȠ ʌȜĮȓıȚȠ ʌȠȚȠIJȚțȒȢ
ĮȞĮȕȐșȝȚıȘȢ ĮȡȤȚțȒȢ/ıȣȞİȤȚȗȩȝİȞȘȢ țĮIJȐȡIJȚıȘȢ țĮȚ İțʌĮȓįİȣıȘȢ İȞȘȜȓțȦȞ
50
[Study for a unified framework for improving the quality of initial/continuous
adult education and training] (unpublished).
GSLL (2013a). DzțșİıȘ 2012 ȖȚĮ IJȘ įȚȐ ȕȓȠȣ ȝȐșȘıȘ ıIJȘȞ ǼȜȜȐįĮ [2012 report on
lifelong learning in Greece]. Athens: GSLL, General Secretariat for Lifelong
Learning.
http://share.pdfonline.com/ab3b543720d6402bb8ed2416f87c562a/APOLOG
ISMOS_GGBM_2013.pdf.
GSLL (2013b). ǼșȞȚțȩ ʌȡȩȖȡĮȝȝĮ ǻȚȐ ȕȓȠȣ ȝȐșȘıȘ 2013-15: ıIJȡĮIJȘȖȚțȩ ʌȜĮȓıȚȠ
[National lifelong learning programme 2013-15: strategic framework].
Athens: GSLL, General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning.
ǿȀȊ (2013). ȅįȘȖȩȢ ʌĮȡȠȣıȓĮıȘȢ, ĮȞȐʌIJȣȟȘȢ țĮȚ İijĮȡȝȠȖȒȢ IJȠȣ ǼȣȡȦʌĮȧțȠȪ
ıȣıIJȒȝĮIJȠȢ ıȣııȫȡİȣıȘȢ țĮȚ ȝİIJĮijȠȡȐȢ ʌȚıIJȦIJȚțȫȞ ȝȠȞȐįȦȞ ıIJȘȞ
İʌĮȖȖİȜȝĮIJȚțȒ İțʌĮȓįİȣıȘ țĮȚ țĮIJȐȡIJȚıȘ (ECVET) ıIJȘȞ ǼȜȜȐįĮ [Guide to
the presentation, development and implementation of the European credit
system for vocational education and training (ECVET) in Greece]. Athens:
ǿȀȊ, State Scholarships Foundation. http://www.academia.edu/4703410/_.
ǿȃǼ; GSEE (2013). ȅȚ țĮIJİȣșȪȞıİȚȢ IJȘȢ ȠȚțȠȞȠȝȚțȒȢ ʌȠȜȚIJȚțȒȢ IJȠ 2013: Ș ĮȞİȡȖȓĮ
IJȦȞ ȞȑȦȞ [Economic policy guidelines 2013: youth unemployment].
Enimerosi, Vol. 210, November 2013.
http://www.inegsee.gr/sitefiles/files/enhmerosh-teyxos-210.pdf.
Ioannidou, A.; Stavrou, S.͒(2013). Reformperspektiven der Berufsbildung in
Griechenland [Reform prospects for vocational training in Greece]. Berlin:
Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Department of western Europe/North America.
(International policy analysis). http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/ipa/10251.pdf.
IOBE and Remaco (2013). ȈIJȡĮIJȘȖȚțȒ ȝİȜȑIJȘ: ĮȞȐʌIJȣȟȘ ĮȞșȡȫʌȚȞȠȣ įȣȞĮȝȚțȠȪ
țĮȚ țĮȚȞȠIJȩȝȠȢ İʌȚȤİȚȡȘȝĮIJȚțȩIJȘIJĮ: ʌȡȫIJȘ İȞįȚȐȝİıȘ ȑțșİıȘ [Strategic
study: human resources development and innovative entrepreneurship: first
interim report] (unpublished).
Matsaganis, M. (2013):͒The Greek crisis: social impact and policy responses.
Berlin: Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Department of western Europe/North
America.
(Study/Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung).
http://library.fes.de/pdffiles/id/10314.pdf.
McCoschan, A. et al. (2008). Beyond the Maastricht communiqué: developments
in the opening up of VET pathways and the role of VET in labour market
integration: consolidated final report. Ecotec, March 2008.
McKinsey and Company (2011). Greece 10 years ahead: defining Greece's new
growth model and strategy: executive summary. Athens: McKinsey and
Company.
http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/athens/GreeceExecutiveSummary_new/
pdfs/Executive_summary_English_new.pdf.
Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs (2011). Ȇ3: İșȞȚțȩ
ʌȜĮȓıȚȠ įȚĮıijȐȜȚıȘȢ ʌȠȚȩIJȘIJĮȢ ıIJȘ įȚȐ ȕȓȠȣ ȝȐșȘıȘ [ʌ³: national quality
assurance framework for lifelong learning].
Athens:
Ministry
of
51
Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs.
http://www.gsae.edu.gr/images/stories/plaisio.pdf.
Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare (2013). ȈȤȑįȚȠ įȡȐıȘȢ
ıIJȠȤİȣȝȑȞȦȞ ʌĮȡİȝȕȐıİȦȞ ȖȚĮ IJȘȞ İȞȓıȤȣıȘ IJȘȢ ĮʌĮıȤȩȜȘıȘȢ țĮȚ IJȘȢ
İʌȚȤİȚȡȘȝĮIJȚțȩIJȘIJĮȢ IJȦȞ ȞȑȦȞ ıIJȠ ʌȜĮȓıȚȠ İʌȚȤİȚȡȘıȚĮțȠȪ ʌȡȠȖȡȐȝȝĮIJȠȢ
IJȠȣ ǼȈȆǹ [Action plan of targeted interventions to boost youth employment
and entrepreneurship within the NSRF operational programme]. Athens:
Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare .
http://www.espa.gr/Lists/Custom_Announcements/Attachments/522/130110
_Sxedio_Drasis_Neon_Pliroforiako_Entypo.pdf.
Mitrakos, T. (2013). ǹȞȚıȩIJȘIJĮ țĮȚ ijIJȫȤİȚĮ: IJȐıİȚȢ țĮȚ ʌȡȠțȜȒıİȚȢ [Inequality and
poverty: trends and challenges]. Presentation at the Centre of Planning and
Economic Research (KEPE) workshop on social cohesion and the economic
crisis, 30 May 2013.
OECD (2011). Help wanted? Sizing up the challenge ahead: future demographic
trends and long-term care costs. In: OECD (ed.). Help wanted? Providing
and paying for long-term care. Paris: OECD, pp. 61-84.
http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/47884543.pdf.
Pedagogical Institute (2006). Ǿ ȝĮșȘIJȚțȒ įȚĮȡȡȠȒ ıIJȘ įİȣIJİȡȠȕȐșȝȚĮ İțʌĮȓįİȣıȘ
(ȖȣȝȞȐıȚȠ, İȞȚĮȓȠ ȜȪțİȚȠ, ȉǼǼ): ȑȡİȣȞĮ [Early abandonment of secondary
education (gymnasium, unified lyceum, technical vocational school): survey].
Athens: Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. http://kesypampel.att.sCh.gr/Math_Diarroi_PI.pdf.
Pouliakas, K. (2014). A balancing act at times of austerity: matching the supply
and demand for skills in the Greek labour market. Bonn: IZA discussion
paper; No 7915. http://ftp.iza.org/dp7915.pdf.
SEV (2013). ȅ IJȠȝȑĮȢ IJȠȣ ʌİȡȚȕȐȜȜȠȞIJȠȢ: ȝȘȤĮȞȚıȝȩȢ įȚȐȖȞȦıȘȢ IJȦȞ ĮȞĮȖțȫȞ
IJȦȞ İʌȚȤİȚȡȒıİȦȞ ıİ İʌĮȖȖȑȜȝĮIJĮ țĮȚ įİȟȚȩIJȘIJİȢ [The environment sector:
mechanism for diagnosing the needs of enterprises in occupations and
skills]. Athens: SEV, Hellenic Federation of Enterprises.
http://www.sevstegi.org.gr/sites/default/files/PERIVALLON_0.pdf.
Wolf, A. (2011). Review of vocational education: the Wolf report. London:
Department for Education and Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-vocationaleducation-the-wolf-report.
52
Webpages
[Accessed on 3.2.2014]
Youth unemployment
Cedefop Europass website activity
report 2012 (Greece, Greek)
Government Gazette, Series I, No 566,
8.5.2006
Eoppep, list of job profiles 1-50
Eurostat, adult education survey (AES)
database
Eurostat, general government
deficit/surplus
Eurostat, income and living conditions
(ILC) database
The World Bank, data on fertility rate,
total (births per woman)
Elstat, population census 2011
Elstat, living conditions in Greece
Elstat, statistics database:
Employment - Unemployment
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/themes/21_youth_
unemployment.pdf
http://194.26.23.24/Statistics/4._Annual_activity_by_co
untry_and_language/2012/Europass_Statistic_Reports
_Year_Locale_2012_el_GR.PDF
http://www.eoppep.gr/images/EP/PistopoiisiPerigramm
aton.pdf
http://www.eoppep.gr/index.php/el/structure-andprogram-certification/workings/list-ep
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/micr
odata/adult_education_survey
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/refreshTableActio
n.do?tab=table&plugin=1&pcode=tec00127&language
=en
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/inco
me_social_inclusion_living_conditions/data/database
http://www.inegsee.gr/sitefiles/files/enhmerosh-teyxos210.pdf
http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGEcensus2011
http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGElivingcond
http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGEthemes?p_param=A0101
53
Relevant national legislation
Law 3996 (GG I/177 of 25.8.2008) concerning the establishment and operation of
colleges and other provisions.
Law 3191 (GG I/258 of 7.11.2003) concerning the national system linking
vocational education and training with employment.
Law 3369 (GG I/171 of 6.7.2005) concerning the systematisation of lifelong
learning.
Law 3879 (GG I/163 of 21.9.2010) concerning the development of lifelong
learning and other provisions.
Law 4186 (GG I/193 of 17.9.2013) concerning the restructuring of secondary
education and other provisions.
Law 3848/2010 (GG 71/I/2010) concerning upgrading the role of the instructor –
establishment of norms for evaluation and meritocracy in education and
other provisions.
Law 4009/2011 (GG I/195 of 6.9.2011) concerning the structure, operation,
quality assurance of studies, and internationalisation of institutions of higher
education.
54
List of abbreviations
ADEDY
AMEA
CTI
EAP
ECV
ECVET
EGSSE
EIEAD
EK
ELGPN
Elstat
Eoppep
EPAL
EPAS
EQF
ERDF
ESF
EU
EU-27
EU-28
EURES
GDEE
GDP
GEL
GSEE
GSEVEE
GSLL
HMA
ICT
IEK
ǿȀǹ
IKY
IME
ǿȃǼDǺȂ
IOBE
ISCED
ȀǹȃǼP
Kethea
LAEK
LLC
NARIC
NCHC
NEET
NQF
NSRF
Civil Servants’ Confederation
Disabled persons
Computer Technology Institute
Hellenic Open University
European curriculum vitae (Europass CV)
European credit system for vocational education and training
National general collective labour agreement
National Labour and Human Resources Institute
Education and training
European lifelong guidance policy network
Hellenic Statistical Authority
National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications and
Vocational Guidance
Vocational upper secondary school
Vocational/apprenticeship school
European qualifications framework
European Regional Development Fund
European Social Fund
European Union
The EU of 27 Member States (2007-13)
The EU of 28 Member States
European job mobility portal
Vocational education career offices (operated by OAED)
Gross domestic product
General upper secondary school
General Confederation of Greek Workers
Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants
General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning
Hellenic Management Association
Information and communication technologies
Vocational training institutes
Social Security Organisation
State Scholarships Foundation
GSEVEE Small Enterprises Institute
Foundation for Youth and Lifelong Learning
Foundation for Industrial and Economic Research
International standard classification of education
Education Policy Development Centre (GSEE)
Therapy Centre for Dependent Individuals
Special fund for employment and vocational training
Lifelong learning centres
National academic recognition information centre
National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce
Not in education, employment or training
National qualifications framework
National strategic reference framework
55
OAED
OECD
ȅȀǹȃǹ
PAEP SA
PIAAC
SAEP
SEK
SEPED
SEV
SYEP
ȉǼǼ
ȉǼǿ
UN
VET
Manpower Employment Organisation
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Organisation Against Drugs
Employment Observatory
Programme for the international assessment of adult competences
Council for the recognition of professional qualifications
Vocational training schools
Vocational orientation, guidance and educational activities directorate
(MinEd)
Hellenic Federation of Enterprises
Counselling and vocational guidance
Technical Chamber of Greece
Technological Educational Institution
United Nations Organisation
Vocational education and training
Country codes
EE
European Union
BE
CZ
DK
DE
IE
EL
ES
FR
IT
LU
HU
NL
AT
PL
PT
SI
SE
FI
SK
UK
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Germany
Eire
Greece
Spain
France
Italy
Luxembourg
Hungary
Netherlands
Austria
Poland
Portugal
Slovenia
Slovakia
Finland
Sweden
United Kingdom
Other countries
AU
CA
CH
CL
IS
JP
KR
MX
NO
NZ
TR
US
56
Australia
Canada
Switzerland
Chile
Iceland
Japan
Korea
Mexico
Norway
New Zealand
Turkey
United States
ANNEX
Glossary
Lifelong learning
All learning activity undertaken throughout life with the aim of acquiring and
improving knowledge, skills and competences that foster the development of an
well-rounded personality, employment-related prospects, social cohesion, the
capacity to take part in civic affairs, and social, economic and cultural
development. It includes formal and non-formal education and informal learning.
Formal education system
The system of primary, secondary and tertiary education.
Formal education
Education which is provided within the formal education system, leads to
qualifications recognised at national level by public authorities and is part of the
education ladder. Formal education also includes general formal adult education.
Non-formal education
The education which is provided in an organised educational framework outside
the formal education system and can lead to the acquisition of certificates
recognised at national level. It includes initiaĎ vocational training, continuous
vocational training and general adultғ education.
Informal learning
Learning resulting from activities that take place outside an organised
educational framework, throughout a person’s life, in the context of leisure time or
occupational, social and cultural activities.
General adult education
Includes all organised educational activities for adults undertaken to enrich
knowledge, to develop and improve abilities and skills, to develop the personality
of the individual and of the active citizen and as a means of reducing educational
and social inequalities. It is provided both by formal and non-formal education
entities.
National qualifications framework
An instrument for the classification of qualifications in the form of learning
outcomes, according to a set of criteria for specified levels of learning achieved.
In the national qualifications framework, the learning outcomes are defined in
57
terms of knowledge, skills and competence, without fragmenting the unified
character of the learning.
Initial vocational education and training (IVET)
General or vocational education and training that is provided in the framework of
the initial education system, usually before entry into professional life but
including certain cases of training after entry into professional life (e.g. retraining).
It can take place at any level of the general or vocational education pathway of
apprenticeship.
Continuous vocational education and training
Education or training that takes place after initial education or entry into
professional life and which aims at improving or upgrading knowledge and/or
competences, acquiring new skills for a change of career or retraining and at
continuing personal or professional development. It includes any form of
education (general, specialised or vocational, formal or non-formal).
Post-secondary (non-tertiary) education ISCED 4
The level between upper secondary and tertiary education. It serves to broaden
the knowledge of graduates of upper secondary education. These programmes
are designed to prepare students for the first tier of tertiary education or for
immediate entry into the labour market. They do not lead to the award of a
tertiary level qualification. Students admitted to this level will typically have
completed upper secondary education.
Apprenticeship
Systematic periods of dual learning with alternating long spells in the workplace
and at an educational institution or training centre. The apprenticeship is
governed by a labour contract with the employer and the apprentice receives
some form of remuneration. The employer undertakes to provide the apprentice
with training that will lead to employment in the specific occupation.
Qualification
The formal outcome of an assessment and validation process which is obtained
when a competent body determines that an individual has achieved learning
outcomes to given standards.
Learning outcomes
‘Statements’ of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on
completion of a learning process.
58
Vocational education and
training in Greece
Short description
Luxembourg:
Publications Office of the European Union
2014 – IV, 58 p. – 21 x 29.7 cm
ISBN 978-92-896-1620-1
doi: 10.2801/76056
Cat. No: TI-01-14-125-EN-C
Free download at:
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/4130_en.pdf
Free of charge – 4130 EN –
EN
Vocational education
and training in
Greece
Short description
Recent reform initiatives aim to make VET more attractive in
a country where the worlds of education and training and
work have been quite apart. Recent legislation aims to
reinforce work-based components of education and training,
thus strengthening links with the labour market. Anticipating
skill needs should also become part and parcel of educational policy. Provided all partners within the education and
training field and the labour market are committed to their
implementation, these reforms can go a long way towards
addressing the challenges the country currently faces.
4130 EN – TI-01-14-125-EN-C –doi:10.2801/76056
By providing an insight into the main features and current
developments, this short description contributes to a better
understanding of vocational education and training (VET) in
Greece and the challenges that lie ahead, such as high youth
unemployment and other labour market imbalances.
European Centre for the Development
of Vocational Training
Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE
PO Box 22427, 551 02 Thessaloniki, GREECE
Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020, E-mail: info@cedefop.europa.eu
978-92-896-1620-1
E